The Grand Army of the Republic

Monday, July 28, 2014

GAR Grave Marker

Anyone who has walked among the graves in an old cemetery may have come across the brass star medallion of the GAR—the Grand Army of the Republic—on a soldier’s final resting place.  The Grand Army of the Republic represented a brotherhood that was formed in battle that remained a fraternal brotherhood after the Civil War.  The organization left a lasting effect still felt today.

   

When Union soldiers, like Michael McDonald, came home to Ahnapee, they didn’t forget the camaraderie shared with their fellow soldiers during the hardships of the war.  After they mustered out, they often banded together.  In the spring of 1866, Michael captained the first regularly organized militia company perfected in Kewaunee County.  Comprised of veterans of the Civil War, it numbered about 60 men.  Their uniforms consisted of bright red flannel shirts with black trousers and the company, according to one story, "made quite a natty appearance … upon the streets for drill."  Veterans, who were bonded like brothers by their Civil War experiences held reunions for many years after the war.  They also banded together to join local GAR posts.

1885 Soldiers' Re-Union of Kewaunee, Door,
Manitowoc, and Brown County Union Civil War Veterans
Michael McDonald is in center front with cane
(from the Record-Herald newspaper )

The Grand Army of the Republic organization was founded in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866, a year after the close of the war.  Wisconsin posts were among the first to be formed.  Honorably discharged Union veterans of the Army, Navy, Marine Corp, or the Revenue Cutter Service who served between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865 were eligible for membership.

The GAR was formed at three levels:  National, Department (state), and Post (local).  The organization’s objectives were “fraternity, charity, and loyalty”.  The brotherhood of comrades fulfilled the goal of fraternity.  They held annual Encampments which were multi-day events including formal dinners and memorial activities.  Events involved camping out, singing war songs, and telling soldiers’ stories.  Perhaps these events also provided psychological benefits with soldiers helping each other heal after the war.  Charity came in the form of founding soldiers’ homes including the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, doing relief work, and driving veterans’ pension legislation.  Ultimately, a strong Republican political block was formed in the GAR.  It carried significant voting clout.

GAR Membership Badge

The posts used rituals and induction ceremonies that were similar to those of the Freemasonry (Masons) including the secret white and black ball voting system.  In the case of the GAR, more than one black ball was required to deny membership—for a prospective member to be “blackballed”.  The same rituals were later adopted by the successor organization, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, which was formed in 1881 for which there were hereditary qualifications for membership.  Others interested in joining the SUVCW, who were not related to a Union Civil War veteran, could apply to become an Associate Member.

The GAR was a men’s organization but, in 1897, it did admit one woman.  Sarah Emma Edmonds had served in the 2^nd Michigan Infantry from May 1861 until April 1863 disguised as a man named Franklin Thompson.  Edmonds was only a GAR member for a brief time however as she died the same year.

Posts were named for deceased persons and existed throughout Wisconsin and the U.S.  The John M. Reed Post #155 was formed in Kewaunee.  In Ahnapee, J. Anderegg Post #242 was named after Joseph Anderegg, an early settler, a carpenter, and the first clerk of Wolf.  Anderegg was a well-respected local businessman.  In Manitowoc, the H. M. Walker Post #18 was formed; in Sturgeon Bay there was another, the H. S. Schulyer Post #226.

Yours Very Truly, George W. Wing
Grand Army of the Republic

 At the height of its popularity, by 1890, nearly 500,000 Union Civil War veterans were members of the GAR.  The final Encampment was held in Indianapolis in 1949.  The GAR dissolved when the last member, Albert Woolson, died in 1956 at age 109 but successor groups including the Sons of Union Veterans, Auxiliary to the Sons, Woman’s Relief Corps, Daughters of Union Veterans, and Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic carry on the traditions of the GAR.  More information about these organizations is available online at suvcw.org.

    

Among the lasting acts of the GAR was General Order #11.  It called for a Decoration Day—a day of remembrance to be held each May 30.  It was the origin of Memorial Day.